Victor R. Claveau, MJ
All the Evangelists together with St. Paul agree that Christ appeared to the eleven Apostles.
Twelve apparitions are recorded:
1. To Mary Magdalene near the sepulchre (Mk. 16:9; Jn 20:11-18).
2. To women returning from sepulchre (Mt. 28:9-10).
3. To Simon Peter (Lk. 24:34; t Cor. 15:5).
4. To two disciples going to Emmaus (Lk. 24:15-35).
5. To Apostles, Thomas being absent (Mk. 16:14; Lk. 24:36-43; John xx. 19-23).
6. To Apostles, Thomas being present (Jn. 20:24 sq.; 1 Cor. 15:5).
7. To five Apostles and two disciples at Sea of Galilee (Jn. 21:1-24).
8. To the eleven Apostles who had gone to Galilee (Mt, 28:16 sq.).
9. To more than five hundred brethren (1 Cor. 15:6).
10. To James (1 Cor. 15:7).
11 To the eleven Apostles in Jerusalem and Bethania on the day of the Ascension. (Mk. 16:19; Lk. 24:50-52; Acts 1:1-12).
12. To St. Paul near Damascus (Acts 9:3 sq.; 1 Cor. 15:8).
Moreover, it is stated that to His Apostles Christ “showed himself alive after His passion, by many proofs for forty days appearing to them, and speaking of the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3).
Miracles still take place In the Catholic Church and in the Catholic Church alone.
Christ promised that miracles would continue in the Church. ” “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.” Jn. 14:12.
When Christ said to His Apostles: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.… And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.” (Mk. 16: 17-18, 20).
Both Martin Luther and John Calvin denied that they had miraculous powers. Luther wrote: ‘From us, who deny free-will, miracles cannot be expected” (de servo arbitrio). Calvin, in his letter to the King of France declared that “they do wrong who demand miracles from us.”
Miracles are Divine testimonies to the truth of the Catholic Church.